Pleat forming curtain hanger



.Ju1 21,1959- I Filed Feb. 9, 1956 O. M. HANSON PLEAT FORMING CURTAIN HANGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. OLIVE/PM HANSON July 21, 1959. QMHANSON 2,895,194

PLEAT FORMING CURTAIN HANGER Filed Feb. 9, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. OL/VER M HANSON ATTORNEYS United States Patent PLEAT FORMTNG CURTAIN HANGER Oliver M. Hanson, Hemet, Calif.

Application February 9, 1956, Serial No. 564,464

2 Claims. (Cl. 24-.84)

The present invention relates to a curtain support, and pertains more particularly to a clamp type curtain support which is adapted to be mounted on a curtain rod or traverse rod to form pleats in the upper portion of a normally flat curtain, and to support these pleats at right angles to the plane of the window opening over which the curtain is hung.

In the past, various types of curtain supports have been devised for gripping the upper marginal portion of a curtain to support it on a rod such as a cur: tain rod or traverse rod for slidable movement of the supporting devices thereon. In such previous supports, however, it has been necessary, if it is desired to have a pleated curtain, to form the pleats prior to hanging the curtain.

The present invention contemplates the provision of an improved curtain clip which will form pleats in the curtain material and will support the curtain by these pleats from a curtain or traverse rod.

The invention also provides an improved clamp for grasping a folded portion at the upper margin of a curtain to form a pleat therein, the clamp having a support extending in a plane parallel to the clamping faces thereof for engaging a curtain or traverse rod.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved and simplified pleat-forming curtain support clip.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a portion of a traverse rod and the upper marginal portion of a curtain supported by a pair of pleat-forming clips embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the curtain being omitted.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, exploded, perspective view showing the component parts of the clip illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the fixed jaw portion of the clip, with a rod engaging hook portion assembled therewith.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of curtain supporting device which employs a ring for encircling the curtain rod instead of the traverse rod engaging hook shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, exploded view of the lower portion of one of the hooks shown in Fig. 5.

Briefly, the device A (Fig. 1) embodying the invention comprises a clip portion 10 which may be made substantially as shown in US. Patents No. 2,219,991 and 2,141,983, with a fixed gripping jaw 11, a movable gripping jaw 12, and an actuating lever 13. A suspension hook 14 is fixedly connected to the fixed jaw 11 for lateral hooked engagement with a sliding eye 15 of a conventional traverse rod B.

The fixed jaw 11 has a flat plate portion 17 with integrally formed, upturned lateral cars 18 thereon. Holes 19 are provided in the ears 18 for pivotally receiving a 2,895,194 Patented July 21, 1959 pair of trunnion lugs 20 which extend laterally one from each side of the upper portion of the actuating lever 13. The upper end portion 21 of the fixed jaw 11 is bent over at right angles to the plate portion 17 above the ears 18, and has a hole 22 therein to provide operating clear ance for a lug 23 which extends upwardly centrally of the top of the movable jaw 12. The bent over portion 21 is spaced upwardly from the ears 13 a distance sufiicient to receive therebetween a pair of suspension lugs 24 which extend laterally from opposite sides of the movable jaw 12.

Serrated teeth 25 and 26 are formed along the lower portion of each side and along the lower edge of the fixed jaw 11, and these teeth are bent at right angles to the plate portion 17 in the same direction as the cars 18.

The supporting hook 14 has a mounting plate portion 28 of a width to fit closely between the cars 18 of the fixed jaw 11. A laterally projecting lug 29 is provided on one side of the plate portion 28 of a width to fit between an car 18 on one side of the fixed jaw 11 and the bent over upper end portion 21 (Fig. 4). A hook arm 30, of the same width as the lug 29, extends laterally from the other side of the upper end of the mounting plate 28, and has a downwardly extending arm 31 formed integrally therewith. An inwardly oifset portion 32 also is provided at the lower end of the downwardly extending arm 31. The entire hook member 14 preferably is stamped from a single piece of suitable sheet metal, such as brass or steel.

The lower portion 12a of the movable jaw 12 is offset outwardly at 33 from the upper portion 12b thereof, and rows of inwardly bent, serrated teeth 34- and 35 are provided along the bottom and side edges, respectively, of the lower portion 12a. Thus, when a folded pleat 37 (Fig. '1) of curtain material is gripped between the jaws 11 and 12, the teeth 25 and 26 and 34 and 35 will grip the curtain material firmly and prevent it from slipping.

The actuating lever 13 has a fiat body portion 40 with inturned sides 41 and an upper portion 42 which is bent over at right angles to the body portion 4%. The lugs 13 extend laterally from opposite sides of the body portion 41) for pivotally mounting the actuating lever 13 in the holes 19 in the cars 18. The bent over upper portion 42 of the actuating lever extends inwardly beyond the trunnion lugs 20, and bears against the upper portion 12b of the movable jaw 12. When the actuating lever 13 is swung downwardly to its clamping position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 it forces the lower end of the movable jaw 12 inwardly into gripping relation with the fixed jaw 11. When the actuating lever 13 is swung upwardly to its releasing position shown in broken lines in Fig. 1, it frees the movable jaw 12 to release a curtain pleat 37 gripped between the fixed and movable jaws.

In operating the device, a piece of flat curtain material 44 is folded to form the pleat 37. With the actuating lever 13 in its upwardly swung, releasing position the pleat 37 is inserted between the jaws 11 and 12 as shown in broken lines in Fig. 1.

The actuating lever 13 then is swung downwardly to its position shown in solid lines in Figs. 1 and 2 to grip the pleat 37 firmly between the jaws 11 and 12. The laterally extending hook 14 then may be inserted in an eye 15 of the conventional traverse rod B to suspend the thus pleated curtain 44 therefrom as shown in Fig. 1.

In the modified arrangement shown in Figs. 5 and 6, a clip C consists of a fixed jaw 51, a movable jaw 52, and an actuating lever 53 similar to the corresponding parts 11, 12 and 13 shown in Fig. 1.

A curtain rod encircling ring portion 54 is formed from a strip like blank 55 of sheet metal having a pair of similar lugs 57 and 58 formed one on each end thereof. These lugs 57 and 58 are twisted, as best shown in Fig. 6 to lie at right angles to the remainder of the blank 55. i

The lugs 57 and 58 are of a size to fit closely in sideby-side relation between the actuating lever support ears 59 of the fixed jaw 51, a neck portion 60 of the blank 55 adjacent each lug 57 and 58 being of a size to fit between an ear 59 and a bent over top portion 61 of the fixed jaw 51. The lugs 57 and 58 are seated against the flat plate portion 62 of the fixed jaw 51 as shown at the left hand side of the latter member in Fig. 6. The fit of the lugs 57 and 58 between the ears 59, and between these ears and the bent over top portion 61 of the fixed jaw 51 is sufficiently tight to retain these lugs firmly against displacement.

The device B shown in Figs. and 6 may be clipped onto a pleat 37a formed in an otherwise flat curtain 44a in the same manner as that described previously herein for the device A shown in Fig. 1. When thus clipped onto a curtain, the ring portion 54 may be threaded onto a conventional curtain rod 64 in a usual manner to support the curtain.

The invention provides a simple and effective pleatforming curtain support and one which may be rapidly assembled with high speed equipment and without the need of soldering or other extraneous fastening means.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood however, that various changes and modifications may be made in the details thereof Without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. For combination with a clamp having a first jaw member with a substantially flat body portion having a bent over upper end portion, a pair of ears being pro- 4. vided on opposite sides of the body portion of said first jaw member and spaced downwardly from said bentover upper end portion, with a second jaw member pivotally mounted on said ears and spaced slightly from the first jaw member, and having means for releasably clamping the jaw members together to grip a pleat of curtain material therebetween; a rod engaging hook member comprising a flat, sheet-like base portion adapted to be closely interfitted beween the ears, and overlying the upper body portion, and closely adjacent the bent-over upper end portion of the first jaw member, of such clamp, with said hook base portion interposed in the space between the two jaw members, and a rod engaging hook portion formed integrally with said base portion at the upper end thereof and adapted to extend laterally through the space between one of the ears and the bentover upper end portion of such first jaw member, the outer end of said hook member extending downwardly to lie in laterally spaced relation to such clamp when the hook member is assembled therewith, and to be spaced therefrom by a suficient distance to receive a curtain rod of predetermined width therebetween for hooked support of such clamp member and of a curtain having a pleat thereof gripped between the jaws of said clamp member, whereby the fiat base portion firmly holds the hook portion against lateral and swivel displacement.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the base hook portions are of a single continuous flat sheet material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 582,912 Freeman May 18, 1897 831,627 Pickens Sept. 25, 1906 1,414,601 Taylor May 2, 1922 2,141,983 Hawie Dec. 27, 1938 2,219,991 Hawie Oct. 29, 1940 2,607,977 Serrell Aug. 26, 1952 

